NEWSLETTER
All remains quiet on the Zach LaVine front.
Despite early-season reports about the two-time All-Star’s willingness to find a new home, his trade market has yet to develop. To be sure, there is a lot of time for that to change! The NBA trade deadline isn’t until the second week of February. Many teams are still trying to figure out (1) who they are and (2) what they may need for a playoff pursuit. LaVine’s efficient three-level scoring ability could look that much more intriguing for many organizations as the year goes on.
Still, as of publishing, the reports are what they are. A deep market for LaVine has yet to materialize, and the fact he is stuck in street clothes with foot inflammation doesn’t help. The only team that we’ve seen gain any sort of traction in a potential LaVine deal is the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only are they all-in on a championship pursuit, but they are known for their Klutch connections. Many are starting to believe that it’s only a matter of time before a deal gets done.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick recently spoke with Klutch founder Rich Paul about that popular thought process. To little surprise, he made clear that there isn’t one specific destination they would look to send LaVine. He also, technically, didn’t rule out the idea of LaVine remaining in Chicago for the foreseeable future.
“It’s not one team,” Paul told The Athletic. “I don’t have a specific destination for Zach. I want what’s best for Zach and his family. When you have a guy playing the game, you want him to be able to play the game happy, whether that’s in Chicago or somewhere else.”
With that in mind, Amick proceeded to tie LaVine to another organization in California. The Sacramento Kings returned to the postseason for the first time since the 2005-06 season last year and would love nothing more than to become a playoff staple. Of course, one way to do that could be to make an aggressive trade for more win-now talent.
“For all the public focus on the prospect of James and Davis teaming up with LaVine with the Lakers, the overlooked part is that Kings star De’Aaron Fox is a major priority for Klutch Sports these days as well. Per league sources, LaVine would be very amenable to a Sacramento move that would make him Fox’s backcourt mate,” Amick wrote.”
The important thing to note here is that this report comes from LaVine’s perspective. In other words, it’s unclear whether or not the Kings would have any interest in this partnership. Imagining a world where LaVine fits in Sacramento sure isn’t hard to do, however. The Kings have built their new reputation around being one of the best offenses in the NBA. LaVine would add another dynamic level to their uptempo attack, giving Fox a superb off-ball shooter and cutter to play off of.
We should also keep in mind that this isn’t the first time Sacramento has been connected to LaVine this season. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports also reported in November that the Bulls’ star would “welcome” joining the Kings, as well as the San Antonio Spurs.
Again, what matters most is whether or not the Kings would ever actually call Arturas Karnisovas. While it’s not often that the franchise generates interest from a player of LaVine’s level, it’s impossible not to think their front office would have a long conversation about the financials. De’Aaron Fox is only in the third year of a five-year, $163.0 million deal. Meanwhile, Domantas Sabonis just signed a four-year, $186 million deal. Adding LaVine’s hefty salary to the cap sheet – he’s owed $138 million over the next three seasons – would be an enormous decision by a small market franchise.
If the Kings were interested in forming a new big three, however, they certainly have the assets to pull it off.
What Could a Kings-LaVine Trade Look Like?
Sacramento could pretty easily match LaVine’s salary with veteran forward Harrison Barnes’ $17.0 million deal and Kevin Huerter’s $15.0 million deal. The bad news is that both are in the first year of a three-year deal, so the Bulls would have to be comfortable taking on multi-year salaries. The good news is that both are likely moveable down the road for more assets. Huerter is one of the league’s best deep threats, while Barnes remains a rock-solid role player.
The Kings would also surely have to throw in some draft capital alongside these two to get a deal done. My guess is the Bulls ask for two future first-round picks – one of which would be very lightly protected and one of which would be top 10 or even lottery protected. Sacramento likely counters with only one pick, but I’m not sure if that gets the deal done.
Perhaps throwing in some young talent could also help if the Kings don’t want to get rid of too much draft capital? Chicago isn’t touching Keegan Murray in a deal, so we’re talking about someone like Malik Monk and rookie Colby Jones next to Harrison Barnes. Chris Durate would also have to be thrown in to make the money work. In theory, the Kings may not need Monk’s hot hand with LaVine now in the rotation. Jones also doesn’t necessarily fit into their current timeline, so the Bulls would get a 21-year-old guard with great size and a solid feel for the game.
At the end of the day, there are several ways for these two sides to work something out, which is not the case for every organization in the league. But whether or not anything ever actually develops feels like a very fair question right now. LaVine and Klutch can have as much interest as they want, but it takes two to tango. We’ll see if the Kings want to dance as the February deadline creeps closer.
